The Goddess Of Victory & The Spearhead of the Empire
by xoxrazzyxox
Summary: Society wants them in their proper place. Princess and subordinate. She cracks the class wall by making him her Knight. Will she shatter it completely by admitting her feelings for him or will jealousy, misunderstandings and the fear of loving him too much stop her. He won't do it so it's up to her. Well she isn't called the Goddess of Victory for nothing.
1. Hate at first sight

The True Nature of Jealousy

Chapter 1 - Hate At First Sight

a.t.b January 13th 2006

Britannia - Pendragon Imperial Palace

At sixteen years old she stood beside her father, like a slave to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Unlike her elder sister Guinevere, who had stood in the same spot as she five years ago, the nobility took quite an interest in the second Princess. She was beautiful, intelligent and did not have the reputation that her older sister had for entertaining young gentlemen. This was her coming of age party, today she turned sixteen and would be eligible for marriage. Today was the day her father had been looking forward to, the day where the second Princess Cornelia li Britannia could be used as a political pawn through marriage. This was a fate that she had resigned herself to and a fate that Guinevere had managed to avoid by making herself _unsuitable _for marriage. A consequence of this was that the second Princess had not been allowed the same freedom as her elder sister and was, as such famously untouched. Embarrassingly famous.

Murmurs of nobility and the soft notes of the grand piano awakened her from her reverie, her father had finished his speech, she was now expected to converse with the nobility so that they could introduce prospective husbands. Prospective husbands which she would not get to choose. Odysseus' sudden appearance at her side alerted her that she should begin her descent down the steps to where the nobility waited, circling like sharks waiting to take their pound of flesh.

"Cornelia smile, do you want to scare everyone away?" Odysseus murmured softly in her ear, his own soft smile unwavering as he slipped his arm through hers.

"Is that an option?" She replied a small smile gracing her features at his good humour to her own displeasure.

"Princess?" A soft voice queried to her right. She turned and immediately caught sight of Lady Gottwald a recently widowed woman who was obviously still grieving for deceased her husband, judging by her pale, sallow skin and the vice grip she had on a young man's arm, definitely related judging from the matching alarming hair colour. As if to answer her unspoken question Odysseus spoke.

"Ahh, Lady Gottwald and Margrave Jeremiah, i'm glad you could make it. Cornelia, have the two of you met?" He asked gesturing towards the boy. Ahhh she thought, a prospective suitor and a Margrave so young, an only child?

"No, however it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"And I yours Princess, truly an honour."

"Margrave Jeremiah is around your age, a couple of months older than you if I'm not mistaken." Odysseus commented.

He shyly smiled in response and she immediately liked him. His expression was all openness and ease, his mannerisms shy and gentle. He didn't look like a stuffy or pompous aristocrat he looked like someone she wouldn't mind marrying, someone she could settle for. Just as she opened his mouth to speak, a smooth voice cut in.

"You will excuse me for interrupting." She turned sharply, she hated him, whoever it was his fate was already sealed. If she lost the opportunity to marry someone kind and not at least 10 years her senior she would track this person down and...She stared. A dark flush rose in her cheeks, sound seemed to mute and her heart started to pound.

The man who stood before her was at least six feet tall. As she ran her eyes up his slender form, from his broad shoulders to his cool grey eyes where strands of shiny black hair hung over his left eye, slim elegant fingers reached up to brush the hair away from his face and he smiled softly.

She released a breath that she didn't realise she'd been holding making an embarrassing soft sigh and with that sound rushed back into her ears; glasses clinking, the murmurs of the surrounding nobility and the pianist playing a soft and sensual melody.

"It is an honour to meet you Princess. I am Gilbert GP Guilford" He said slowly as he bowed down on one knee taking her hand in his larger one and bringing it to his lips. She flushed an even darker shade of red, feeling flustered and embarrassed.

"Ahhh, Gilford! I didn't think you could make it, I thought you were stationed with the Infantry in Area 13?" Jeremiah said cheerfully, shaking hands with the mysterious man.

"Yes, as an observer of course. However, now that I have completed my training at the academy with honours they have asked me to join the royal guard when I turn sixteen and since that isn't long away I thought I might as well return to the homeland in preparation." He answered rising to his feet and releasing her hand when she didn't reply, instead only gaping at him in embarrassment.

"Wait! You're only fifteen?" She blurted out, flushing again when he turned to her a slow smile spreading across his face.

"Did you think that I was older?" He asked obviously pleased. A chuckle from Odysseus drew everyone's gaze, noticing this he finally spoke.

"So you are the famous Gilford, I have heard that you are a gifted fighter, especially for your age. The youngest to be promoted to the Royal Guard in fifty years, you can't blame my dear sister for being surprised."

She remembered Schneizel's parting comment as she left for the party. "I do not envy you dear sister, that party will be hell." While she at the time had replied that in a few months he would be in the same position as her, she now wholeheartedly agreed with him. She didn't think she'd felt so embarrassed in her life and not only that but she'd felt something previously unknown to her until the moment, attraction. Taking a deep breath she plastered across her face.

"You will have to excuse me, I have other guests to greet." And with a courtesy swept away Odysseus be damned, he can look after himself fine.

She thought of Euphemia, now 4 years old. Dear sweet Euphie, who she had promised to read a bedtime story to tonight. She would endure the evening with a smile as she met Duke Calares at least 12 years her senior, the soon to be Earl Asplund who while only being two years older was completely insane and finally she would not talk to that man again. No! Either of them. She would become a Princess who could protect her little sister, she would not be manipulated by politics and she definitely would never fall in love with someone who only wanted her for her money and status.

Cornelia Li Britannia would be someone to be feared.

**Please read **

**Authors Note -**

**Some of you may of noticed it's a little OOC, Guilford especially. This is partially because at this point there just teenagers and either don't really understand the implications of their behaviour or haven't really come into themselves yet, Cornelia is almost there though.**

**This is prelude to the main story but it is relevant, if any of you notice any mistakes let me know and I will change it. **

**Happy reading! ^_^ **


	2. An excuse to like you

Chapter 2 - An Excuse To Like You

a.t.b December 24th 2009

Britannia - Pendragon Imperial Palace

Lady Marianne is is dead. Nunnally is dead.

My fault.

Mine.

She ran blindly through the palace, she needed air, gasping and sobbing she stumbled towards a set of double doors leading to the main balcony. She needed to be alone, she knew her father would never forgive her if she knowingly let anyone see her cry. Weakness. He hadn't even reacted to the news, he didn't care. The woman she looked up to as a hero was dead because of her, someone who she regarded as a mother a confidant after her own mother left.

She flung open the doors and the freezing air immediately assaulted her. Staggering to the balcony ledge she crumpled to her knees and clung onto the railing, sobbing uncontrollably she ignored the falling snow as it drifted around her.

"Princess? Princess!" A voice called. The doors flung open with a bang. _Bullets_. Her breaths started coming out more jaggedly as the footsteps hurriedly approached. She couldn't breathe, her chest felt like it was being squeezed in a vice grip as her hands started to shake. _Screams._

"Princess!" Someone took her hands between theirs and pushed her backwards so she was sitting down on the floor. _Crying._

"Princess, you need to calm down you're having a panic attack, breathe with me. In, out, in, out." _Get in there the empress is in trouble! _Taking deep breaths in time with the voice the vice grip on her chest slowly loosened and her breathing calmed down with each breath she took her fuzzy vision becoming clearer until she could make out the figure in front of her.

"Guilford?" She gasped. Guilford was now a member of the Royal Guard along with Margrave Jeremiah, three years of harsh military service had all but stamped out the playful attitude she remembered from when they first met. He was proud of his heritage and had a strong loyalty to the royal family but that had seemed to be all that was left of him. He followed orders to the letter and focused all his energies into becoming a top Knightmare pilot, he stopped attending parties and had treated her with cold detachment... up until now.

An expression of concern dominated his features. His grey eyes emanating such worry that she was beginning to wonder if she'd imagined his cold attitude towards after her birthday. Initially when she had seen Guilford amongst a small group of Royal Guards stationed outside her younger sisters room three years ago she had approached him and attempted to make conversation, to which he responded with monosyllabic answers with a stoic expression. After several embarrassing occasions of being softly rebuffed by him she had finally started to treat him the way she would any other soldier. Coldly.

To try and forget the feelings she had for him she threw herself into every activity that didn't involve being anywhere near him. Spending summers at the Aeris Villa, going on diplomatic missions with Schneizel and finally learning how to pilot a Knightmare with the Goddess herself Marianne vi Britannia who was nicknamed Marianne the Flash for her expertise in a Knightmare frame. Marianne… She felt sick. Clutching at the front of his uniform she noticed something. _Blood._ It was splattered all over his chest and had soaked through the bottom of his trousers dying them a deep red.

She turned to a pile of snow by her side and promptly vomited, falling heavily sideways as she did so from the force of her retching. Arms clutched around her waist kept her from falling head first into the snow, fingers grazed her skin, fingertips dyed with blood. She jerked slightly at the realisation and long strands of her hair streaked in her sick as she coughed at the sudden movement and from the force of her retching. Tears streamed down her face as she forced her hands to fall limp by her sides instead of clutching at his front.

Exhausted her head lolled backwards and white spots danced in her vision. She heard a low murmuring from Guilford that sounded like a reassurance before everything became fuzzy. Guilfords hand slipped under her knees and rested on her back before lifting her up, her head falling uselessly onto his chest and her hands hanging limply towards the floor. After a few seconds the warmth of the corridors began to seep through her skin.

'Princess I'm taking you back to my rooms.' He paused a second as he began to descend some stairs. 'I presume that you don't want anyone to see you like this.' Guilfords soft voice slipped in through the cracks of my consciousness. I couldn't speak but I could feel the memories of months of uncomfortable silences and awkward glances melting away as I began to slip away in his arms.

Thank you.

**I am so sorry! I forgot! Thank you for being patient and for you PM (you know who you are) to remind me this story even exists. I'll upload chapter two in about the same time as this one maybe less if a moment of inspiration strikes me. It's in the next few chapters where you'll see the characters that we see in Code Geass to really appear, the first three will be how they got there. Be patient please!**

**Love + Reviews = Update**


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